Helioscope

So right, yeah. POST ROCK. A term that has quite rightly gathered a trail of ill repute
like a stringy goldfish turd over the last decade or so but one which I shall use to placate this
record without fear or guilt or doubt because it suits this band good like a snug polo neck or
a well trimmed beard. Cos they’re all here, all the tricks of the trade. The reliance on chiming
delayed guitars to create atmosphere. The spindly Tortoisian guitar lines. The Battlesesque
loops and galloping rhythms. The sneaking in there of “danceable” beats and toy keyboards,
the same stunt pulled by Trans Am back in their heyday. The token and highly skippable
ambient “soundscapes”. The inability to just balls out rock out without doing something quirky
or difficult. Even, in a modern and controversial twist, the inclusion of vocals on a few tracks,
which come across in this instance either like a dodgy version of Gravenhurst “Meatman,
Piano Tuner, Prostitute” or a motorik Snow Patrol “Recur”.
Which is not to say that this is a bad record. The production is sharp and saves all the
shit happenin here from coming off like a cluttered mess. Opener “Monoform” is a stonkin
synth led club style banger even if it does peter off into Massive Attack territory towards the
end, and “Art/Choke” despite its wholeheartedly cack name is nice n queasy with its
cancerous bass and tricksy drum tics. Elsewhere its just all a bit too po faced for my liking, a
little too important sounding. Besides, this band gets big love everywhere else on the
tintyweb, they don’t need any of my praise...